Sandwich bun slicer



g- 9, 3 B. F. SMITH El AL SANDWICH BUN SLICER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledAug. 21, 1934 Aug. 9, 1938. B., F. SMITH ET AL SANDWICH BUN SLICER FiledAug. 21, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 9, 1938 PATENT oFFicr.

SANDWICH BUN SLICER BenjaminFranklin Smith, Walter Edison Smith,

and Wayne Clayton Broyles, Fort Smith, Ark. 7

Application August 21,

2 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for slicing bakery products, and inparticular to apparatus for mechanically halving rolls such as sandwichbuns. An object of the invention is the provision 5 of a machine forexpeditiously halving a plurality of sandwich buns such as are used forbarbecue and hamburger sandwiches and thelike.

Another object is the provision of a machine of such character havingmeans for automatically positioning the buns with respect to the cuttingelement, and having means for carrying the buns into contact with andpast the cutting element to a discharge point. Other objects will beapparent from the description.

The present disclosure constitutes an embodiment of the best means wehave thus far devised for reducing the invention to practice, and it isto be understood that the specific details as shown and described shallnot constitute limitations inconsistent with the scope of the inventionas clamed.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine asconstructed in accordance with the principles of the invention.

Figure 2 is an end View thereof.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the machine.

Figure 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 of Figure3.

Figure 6 is a vertical section through the knife assembly of themachine.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the knife blade assembly.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary section illustrating a structural detail.

In detail the machine comprises a table frame consisting of legs 9supporting a pair of parallel side bars I between the opposite ends ofwhich are journalled rollers Ill carrying an endless conveyor belt 12which operates between the side bars to form a moving top for the table.The legs 9 are suitably braced as by cross bracing l3 at the ends and alongitudinal brace l4. The frame is further strengthened by a foot piecel suitably secured to the lower ends of the legs and extending laterallyat one side of the frame, their extended ends being connected with theadjacent side bar by inclined brace bars [6.

The longitudinal brace l4 provides a platform supporting a power source,such as an electric motor I! having a belt drive connection l8 with adriven pulley l9 fixed to a horizontal shaft 20 disposed longitudinallyof the frame and journal- 1934, Serial No. 740,824

led in bearings 2! carried by brackets 22 extending laterally from thebrace M at the side braced by the members l6. Thebelt i2 extends beneaththe frame over an idler roller 23 supported transversely between thelegs at one end of the frame. The belt [2 is driven from an end rollerH, the axle of which extends through the side bar as at 24 and carries afixed pulley 25 having a belt drive connection 26 to a pulley 21 fixedon a stub shaft 28 journalled in a bearing 29 carried by a support 30 onthe adjacent frame legs. The shaft 28 has fixed thereto at one end abevel gear 3! in mesh with an end pinion 32 fixed on the shaft 20whereby the drive from shaft 2|] is imparted to the end roller andconveyor belt I2 as the motor I 1 is operated.

Adjacent the driven end roller II each of the frame side bars It isprovided on its upper face with a longitudinally spaced pair of uprightthreaded stems 33 surrounded by coil expansion springs 34 which supportears 35 extending from the ends of a rectangular frame 36, the earsbeing apertured to slide freely on and over the stems 33. Thisarrangement provides a floating mount for the frame 36 which is spacedabove the side bars it on the springs, its height above the bars and theconveyor belt l2 being regulated by tensioning nuts 31 on the stems. Theend rollers H are so placed that the top flight of the conveyor belt I 2runs substantially flush with the upper faces of the side bars W.

The frame 36 supports a plurality of loose running fluted rollers 38,preferably three, which extend transversely across the conveyor belt inparallel slightly spaced relation. In the clearance between the bottomof frame 36 and the side bars It, and substantially between the twoforemost rollers 38 respecting the feed end F of the machine, isdisposed a reciprocatory cutter element 39, such as a slicing knifehaving a thin flat blade with a serrated edge 40, which extendstransversely of the machine parallel to the rollers 33 with its endsextending laterally beyond each side bar W. The knife is carried atits'ends in upright arms 4! on a cutter bar 42 provided with lateralslides 43 that work through guideways 44 carried on a platform 45forming a part of, the table frame and extending transversely across andbeyond the opposite sides beneath the side bars I B, which bars arerecessed from their under faces as at 46 to accommodate the cutter bar42. At the drive side of the machine the cutter bar arm 4! has a pitmanconnection 41 with a crank stud 68 on a counterweighted wheel 49 fixedto one end of a shaft 50 journalled in a bearing 5| carried by theplatform 45, which shaft has fixed to its other end a pulley 52 having abelt drive connection 53 with a pulley 54 fixed on the shaft 20 wherebyas shaft 20 is rotated the driving connec tion just described willeffect reciprocation of the cutter bar and knife. A brace 55 from thelongitudinal brace 14 provides adequate support for the extension ofplatform 45.

Longitudinal guides 56 are provided at each side of the conveyor belt l2'over its major extent from the feed end F, being carried by slidebrackets 5! adjustably mounted at appropriate intervals on the upperfaces of the frame side bars. In service, a desired number of sandwichbuns are placed on the conveyor belt and the machine set in operation,the drive being such, as to advance the conveyor from the feed end F tothe discharge end D. As they approach the cutter assembly the buns areengaged by the foremost roller 38 which presses the buns firmly on theconveyor belt thus insuring positive movement to the knife 39'whichreciprocates and cuts the buns in half. Before halving is completed thebuns are engaged by the middle roller 38 insuring positive movementcompletely past the knife, whence they pass to-the rearmost roller andare delivered to the discharge end D of the machine without separationand misalignment of the two halves.

We claim:

1. In a sandwich bun slicing machine, a conveyor, a halving knifeextending horizontally across the conveyor, a presser roll immediatelyin advance of said knife, and a presser roll immediately behind saidknife, said rolls being spaced apart slightly directly above the knife.

2. A'sandwich bun slicing machine comprising a frame, an endless beltconveyor therein, a cutter .bar supported in said frame forreciprocation transversely of the conveyor, a common means in said framefor driving the conveyor and reciprocating the cutter bar, a halvingknife carried by said bar and extending transversely across and abovethe conveyor, a supplemental frame carried by the machine frame abovesaid knife, means for adjusting the height of said supplemental framewith respect to the knife, and a plurality of transverse presser rollsjournalled in said supplemental frame in parallel slightly spacedrelation parallel to said knife.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN SMITH. WALTER EDISON SMITH. WAYNE CLAYTON BROYLES.

